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Foundation Events

The JCCC Foundation hosts multiple events each year to benefit JCCC scholarships, initiatives and programming.

Some Enchanted Evening 

Some Enchanted Evening is an annual black-tie gala that celebrates Johnson County Community College and raises funds for scholarships. It has become one of the major social events and one of the most successful fundraising events in Johnson County.

The evening features:

  • An elegant five-course gourmet dinner paired with fine wines
  • Entertainment arranged and performed specially for the evening
  • A spacious dance floor
  • The presentation of the Johnson Countian of the Year award to Frank H. Devocelle

More than $7 million has been raised over the past 30 years for the student scholarship program through Some Enchanted Evening. The Foundation has used these dollars to help thousands of students pursue their dream of a college education. Students with exceptional needs, such as single parents and displaced workers, and talented students in all areas of study benefit from Foundation scholarships.

2019 Event Details

Friends with Taste®

Friends with Taste® supports our world-renowned programs in hospitality and culinary education. Members are invited to exclusive Friends with Taste® events.

Upcoming Friends with Taste Events

Beyond Bounds

This lavish biennial art auction gala benefits the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College. The evening offers a unique opportunity for artists and patrons of the arts to mix and mingle while one-of-a-kind works of art — many created specifically for the event — are sold during silent and live auctions.

Cohen Community Series

Inaugurated in 2008 through a gift from Jon Stewart, former vice chairman of the JCCC Board of Trustees, JCCC alumnus and former president of Metcalf Bank, in honor of the late Barton P. Cohen, president of Metcalf Bancshares, vice chairman and general counsel of Metcalf Bank and an attorney with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP, the Cohen Community Series brings a nationally known personality to campus for a unique evening of entertainment and education. All event proceeds benefit JCCC scholarships and educational programs.

Past Cohen Community Series events include:

  • Phil Vassar
  • Lonestar
  • Josh Turner
  • Sawyer Brown
  • Tracy Lawrence
  • Diamond Rio
  • Vince Gill
  • Marcus Buckingham
  • George Will

The 2019 event featured the Roots & Boots ’90s Electric Throwdown with Sammy Kershaw, Collin Raye and Aaron Tippin.

Lace Up for Learning 5K Run-Walk

Every fall, JCCC hosts a 5K run-walk to benefits student scholarships. The run route circles our lovely campus, and participants receive a commemorative T-shirt, a special gift and awards for runners by age group.

Polsky Practical Personal Enrichment Series

Underwritten by the Norman and Elaine Polsky Family Supporting Foundation within the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation in partnership with JCCC, this series features presentations by successful professionals who share their knowledge and includes topics rarely offered elsewhere.

Past presentations include:

  • Math Doesn't Suck, presented by Danica McKellar (July 2011)
  • The Economy, Taxes and Your Money, presented by Peter Newman (September 2011)
  • Honoring the History and Service of the Tuskegee Airmen, presented by JCCC Veterans (November 2011)
  • Is Preventing Alzheimer's Disease Possible?, presented by Dr. Jeffrey Burns (September 2012)
  • "The Heart of a Warrior" film premiere featuring Navajo Code Talker Samuel Sandoval (November 2012)
  • Windows on Culture, Doorways to Understanding: Viewing China through Architecture, presented by Dr. Jerome Silbergeld (December 2012)
  • Perennials from Around the World: How New Plants Are Found, presented by Dan Heims (February 2013)
  • Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others (September 2013)
  • Straight Talk about Teens, Choices and Safety: Be a Parent First, a Friend Second (October 2013)
  • Military Service: A Latino Perspective (November 2013)
  • How Curiosity Changed My Life, Adam Steltzner, Lead Landing Engineer of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover Project (March 2014)
  • Ready or Not? It’s up to YOU: Smart, Simple Steps to Stay Safe, Kathy Wing (October 2014)
  • Collaboration and Change - Darden Smith and Songwriting With Soldiers (November 2015)
  • Unlocking the Great Pyramid, by Jean-Pierre Houdin (April 2016)
  • Kosher/Soul, by Michael W. Twitty (March 2017)
  • Socially Conscious Investing and Sustainable Investing 101, Eric Dilts, Financial Advisor/Financial Planning Specialist for Morgan Stanley (February 2018)